Jose W. Fernandez and Michael Shifter, author of the new Council Special Report, Countering Criminal Violence in Central America, discuss U.S. and regional efforts to mitigate the violence.

Jose W. Fernandez and Michael Shifter, author of the new Council Special Report, Countering Criminal Violence in Central America, discuss U.S. and regional efforts to mitigate the violence.

Jose W. Fernandez and Michael Shifter, author of the new Council Special Report, Countering Criminal Violence in Central America, discuss U.S. and regional efforts to mitigate the violence.

Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, discusses his new Council Special Report, Countering Criminal Violence in Central America.

This meeting is made possible in part by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

"Flanked by the coca-producing countries of the Andes and the world's leading consumer of illegal drugs—the United States—Central America is a strategic choke point for illicit trade," writes Michael Shifter, president of Inter-American Dialogue, in a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Special Report, Countering Criminal Violence in Central America.

The author assesses the causes and consequences of the violence faced by several Central American countries and examines the national, regional, and international efforts intended to curb its worst effects.

The U.S. Department of State released this fact sheet on the Central America Regional Security Initiative on February 6, 2012.

Grupo Salinas chairman and founder Ricardo Salinas discusses the challenges of doing business in Latin America with CFR Board Member Donna Hrinak.

The U.S. ratification of the stalled Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama indicates that "there is a possibility, despite the very great partisan divisions in Congress, of bipartisan cooperation on economic issues," says CFR's Edward Alden. However, Alden emphasizes that "it is important not to overstate the potential job creation benefits" of the agreements.

Joel D. Hirst explains how the Honduras Truth Commission concluded that the removal of President Manuel Zelaya was a coup while at the same time concluding that Zelaya was breaking the law when he disregarded a Supreme Court ruling ordering him to cancel a referendum allowing for presidential reelection.

Joel D. Hirst says the Obama Administration's "reset button" on failed policies in Latin America could not come at a better moment, and there is still time to undo the damage.

The McKinsey Executive Roundtable Series in International Economics is presented by the Corporate Program and the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.

Press Conference

Joel D. Hirst discusses the money behind Daniel Ortega's "pink revolution" in Nicaragua.

Latin Americans must look in the mirror and confront the reality that many of our problems lie not in our stars but in ourselves. Only then will the region finally attain the development it has so long sought.

Joel D. Hirst discusses the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and its ambitious plan to control information across Latin America.

Joel D. Hirst discusses a document that offers the building blocks for the "21st century socialism."

Joel D. Hirst discusses efforts by Honduras to rejoin the Organization of American States.

The Financial Times' John Paul Rathbone and Jonathan Wheatley examine the perennial Brazilian optimism and the international anticipation on the eve of the nation's September presidential election.

Initiative